Subjective Modality and Means of its Expression in a Journalistic Style

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the study of one of the categories of the sentence — modality. Many domestic linguists define this category as the attitude of the speaker to reality. Representing a complex phenomenon,it does not have a clear definition and according to many linguists requires clarification. The article presents the main provisions from the works of V. V. Vinogradov, who compiled a voluminous list of means denoting modal meanings, and G. A. Zolotova. The definition of the concepts of objective and subjective modality is given according to the «Russian grammar» (of 1980) and the «Linguistic encyclopedic dictionary». The means of expressing subjective modality are analyzed in journalistic style texts by means of an example of online newspaper «Culture». Cases of expression are identified and considered at the level of simple and complex sentences. It is noted that the subjective modality is associated with the use of lexical repetition, phrases, introductory words, separate, interjections, words that cause desire, possibility, intention or non-union complex sentences, complex sentences, unions and allied words. It was found in the article that the subjective modality is mostly expressed by using units of lexical and syntactic levels.